Report Says It’s ‘Safe’ For Big Ten To Expand

The Big Ten may be a step closer to expansion after a report commissioned by the Big Ten that took into account a handful of schools and decided that expansion would be a “safe” idea. And no, Texas was not one of the schools.

An initial report commissioned by the Big Ten offered this suggestion to conference officials: Just say yes to expansion.

A source inside the league told the Tribune that the report, prepared by the Chicago-based investment firm William Blair & Company, analyzed whether five different schools would add enough revenue to justify expanding the league beyond 11 teams.

“The point was: We can all get richer if we bring in the right team or teams,” the source said.

The five analyzed were Missouri, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Rutgers. The source, though, called those five “the obvious suspects” and cautioned that other universities could earn consideration.